News
Despite the lengths we have gone to, in many parts of the world, in order to ensure that people are treated the same regardless of gender - there are many areas that are comparatively regressive.
School dress codes, for instance, tend to be centered around the attire of female students and what it is they can and can't wear.
However, this might be about to change as one school district paves the way for fairer regulations.
Indeed, one school district in Roanoke, Virginia has decided to adopt a gender-neutral dress code policy in order to avoid any gender-based instances of injustice.
In a survey sent out to parents, 59 percent of the 1,370 parents who voted approved.
"The old dress codes we had and that many schools have today single out girls for bra straps and undergarments and many things girls wear," Don Butzer, the chairman of the Roanoke County School Board, told TODAY Style.
"The new policy is probably the most progressive in Virginia," he added. "Our goal was to make it as simple as possible." The new dress code has been edited down from over five pages to one page with a handy diagram showing acceptable clothing measurements across the body.
The decision was unanimous - the Roanoke County School Board is now in favor of a dress code that holds boys and girls to the exact same standards.
Credit: Roanoke County School Board
Butzer says that it was a parent, Jeannie Keen, who encouraged the board to change the dress code after her daughter Olivia, who will be entering the ninth grade this autumn was reprimanded for wearing a pair of track shorts that she was told were too short.
"Within the first two weeks of sixth grade, Olivia and many other girls were dress-coded for wearing athletic shorts," she told TODAY. "I took a photo of what she had on that day and sent it to my school board rep in order to begin a dialogue. I also used a gender-neutral dress code model from Portland, Oregon as an example of how it can be done."
Butzer said he believes students will be happy with the new changes and that the new dress code will be easier to enforce.
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